How long have you been running?
When I was a freshman in college, I got into running for about a one-year period, and I completed my first half marathon. Somehow I slowly got away from running and went a long nine years without running. On February 8th of 2016, I decided that I was going to start running again, and this time I was going to keep running indefinitely. Fast forward to one year and four months later, and I am still going strong. All together I have been running a total of two years.

What prompted you to start?
Several things prompted me to start running again. One thing was knowing that I was not getting any younger and I was approaching 30 quickly, which really scared me. Another thing was that I knew I shouldn’t get out of breath to just tie my shoes, and shouldn’t have to psych myself up to just tie my shoes. The biggest thing that prompted me to start was that deep down I knew I could be a runner again and be healthy again, having already done it once.

How often do you run?
I run at least four to five times a week, and I vary between six to ten miles each time.

What is your routine?
When I first began, I was too embarrassed to run outside, and instead would run many miles on the treadmill. Once the weight started coming off, I became more confident and realized running outside was much, much better than the treadmill. I have come to love finding new outdoor running routes and like to vary between several different ones. I like running either in the mornings or the evenings, depending on my schedule and plans for that day.

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Do you race? If so, how often, and what kind of races?
I have run in several races and like to when my schedule allows it. I honestly enjoy any kind of race. I have run a couple 5Ks, a 10K race, a 10-miler race, and a half-marathon. The next race on my list is a full marathon somewhere.

Do you engage in other sports or activities? If so, what and how often?
I cross-train, and use free weights in between running.

What’s the most rewarding part of running for you?
The most rewarding part of running for me is just the way it makes me feel. I not only enjoy the incredible runners high, but I also feel much more stable mentally after running. I joke that running is sort of my psychologist.

Please describe your weight loss journey, including your before and after weights.
When I first began running in college, I lost nearly 100 pounds. Sadly, I gained all of that back and then some. When I began my weight loss journey, I was 330 pounds on February 8th, 2016. Fast forward to today, and I have lost 150 pounds and hit my goal weight of 180 pounds.

What is the secret to your weight loss success?
The secret to my weight loss success is tracking anything and everything I eat. I am a huge advocate of the smartphone app MyFitnessPal. When you track what you’re eating, you hold yourself much more accountable. You also begin to realize some things are not nearly as healthy as you may have thought. In addition to tracking nutrition, I like to track my running workouts. I would recommend getting some sort of fitness device. I use an Apple Watch, but any fitness tracker would work. I also would track my weight using a smart Wi-Fi enable scale. I like tracking both my workouts and weight because it allows me to set goals.

How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by continuing to set goals for myself and striving to accomplish those goals. I also have one pair of pants that I had when I was my heaviest to remind me of how far I’ve come. I also like to stay up to date on running culture and see the successes of other runners.

Do you have any favorite motivational quotes?
“That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I’d just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I’d just run across the great state of Alabama. And that’s what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I’d gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.” – Forrest Gump

What are your current short and long-term goals?
My current short-term goal is to complete another half-marathon by the end of the year and finish under two hours. (I finished my first one this year in two hours and four minutes!) Long-term goal is to complete a full-marathon, and a longer, long-term goal is to qualify for the Boston Marathon and maybe get a spot in it.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us?
You guys are awesome! I love reading your articles and really appreciate you having these kinds of articles on Tuesdays. They have served as motivation for me many times!

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